IMAGO / Christian Spicker
Members of Die Linke party’s youth group were attacked with pepper spray at Die Linke’s headquarters in Oranienburg on Sunday afternoon. Police are searching for three individuals. According to the police spokesperson, one of them allegedly asked shortly before the pepper spray attack whether it was possible to vote for the AfD (Alternative for Germany) in the office.
One person was hospitalised after the attack, while another received outpatient treatment. Police launched a manhunt for the perpetrators, which was still ongoing in the early evening. The incident reportedly occurred shortly after 14:00. A political motive seems likely, but the investigation into the background of the attack is ongoing.
According to initial findings, the police spokesperson stated that four people were inside the Left Party’s office when three men approached from outside. One of them then entered and made a provocative comment about the AfD. He was asked to leave the office and subsequently sprayed pepper spray. All three then fled. An Instagram post by the Left Party in Oberhavel stated: “We will not be intimidated.”
In a written statement following the incident, the Brandenburg branch of the Left Party lamented an increase in right-wing violence. “Within just a few weeks, this is now the second attack on the Left Party’s office in Oranienburg by far-right extremists,” explained deputy chairman of Die Linke in Brandenburg and youth policy spokesperson Marek Lipp.